


An Adult Fell Down...

by GudufuFruit



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: just something dumb i wanted to write
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-08-22 08:36:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16594514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GudufuFruit/pseuds/GudufuFruit
Summary: What would happen if an adult human were to fall into the mountain?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Alrighty, so this will be approximately 40 chapters long. I have the outline, all I need to do is write it.
> 
> I'm a busy person, I have work and personal life things to attend to. All I ask is for patience. I have an outline. I have a plan.
> 
> It might elongate or shorten.
> 
> Update: it's shortened a few chapters as I've squished some things.
> 
> Update: shit fuck new fic has my attention so be wary of this one because I'm incorporating some stuff. Just... Winging it though.
> 
> Abandoning this one for the time being
> 
> aaaaaaaAAAAAAAAA FUCKING WRITING IS ANNOYING new idea new fun goodbye old thing nnngh.  
> 

Pain was the only thing they could feel, as if they’d fallen at least twenty feet onto a harsh surface. Well, that was exactly what had happened. Yet another Human had managed to fall down into the mountain. Though this one was a bit different than the others, specifically age wise. 

All the other Humans that had previously fallen down were children of varying ages, this one was not. A fully mature Human had managed to somehow fall down. The monsters here had never faced a Human that could properly defend themselves, perhaps even destroy everything, and yet here they were; injured, lying atop a bed of yellow flowers. 

With a silent groan the Human slowly sat up, beginning to look over their aching ankle. It seemed as though it was only a sprain. Luckily a hefty stick was lying right beside them. The Human plucked up the stick and slowly got to their feet. Using the stick as a cane, the Human began to explore the area. It would be best to find somewhere safe and away from anything else that could fall down. 

It seemed like a path was laid out before them, dark as it may be, it was promising. Anything was better than what was above, what they’d left behind. So the Human continued on, slowly making their way to a massive doorway. 

A beam of light was shining through another hole here, a lone flower growing within. The Human attempted to put weight on their right foot and immediately regretted it. Pain like fire shot up through their leg. With a silent hiss the weight was redistributed back to their makeshift cane. 

“Hiya! I'm Flowey!” 

The Human's eyes shot open at the voice. They glanced about before settling upon what had spoken to them. 

“You're new to the underground huh? And it looks like you're hurt too…” 

With a gasp the Human's grip intensified on their cane. They could feel it. This thing was drawing out their soul for a fight. A bright orange glow slowly emerged from their chest, illuminating their center; their soul.

“Don't worry, Flowey here can fix you right up!” 

With a wink the flower created a mass of oval shaped magic. The Human grit their teeth and watched as the magic closed in. The Human held their breath as they quickly ducked down to avoid the pellets of magic. 

“That was healing magic! Stay still so I can help.” 

More pellets formed, this time far lower to the ground. Had their ankle been fine the Human could easily jump over this. As it was the Human knew they would need to time this correctly. 

Whatever game this thing was playing they weren't falling for it. Only a child would believe white magic was healing magic. 

Another Dodge and a pellet managed to catch on the Human's left sleeve. It magic ripped through the fabric with ease. 

“... So you already know what's happening…” 

A massive ring of pellets formed around the Human, the flower grinning with newfound fangs. 

“Then let's get this over with!” 

The ring began to slowly close in on the Human, escape being impossible now. They grit their teeth as the pellets came closer and closer. The Human shut their eyes and took in a slow deep breath. They had to defend themselves. 

Light suddenly shot in front of them, an explosion of flame and heat. The Human opened their eyes just in time to see the flower disappear. Their eyes snapped over to the massive being illuminated by flame. The shine of eyes could be seen, fur, the outline of horns. 

The Human took a step back as the creature stepped into the light. A warm, gentle smile was on their face. They seemed concerned, taking slow and careful steps. 

“Such a horrible thing, attacking someone already injured.” 

The Human relaxed at this tone. It was motherly, calming, gentle. Perhaps this monster was nicer than the last. Either that or it wanted the Human's soul all to themself.

“I am Toriel, caretaker of the ruins. Did you fall and hurt yourself?” 

The Human nodded and looked down at their ankle. At about this time they finally realized the warmth of their soul had calmed. This monster didn't want to fight, they weren't drawing it out. Now, to trust this being or to remain here where that flower could return… 

“May I take you to a safe place?”

The Human looked back up at the monster. Their voice was still so warm and caring. The worst that could happen was death and they'd already cheated that twice. Luck seemed to be on their side today. Well, somewhat at least.

The Human nodded after a few moments of thought. Toriel smiled warmly and slowly approached the Human. 

“May I help you walk?” 

The Human couldn't help but stare a bit in awe at how large this monster was. They eventually nodded. A warm, fur covered arm gently looped around their back while another slipped behind their legs. Before the Human could even attempt to do anything they were being cradled in silk clothed arms. 

“I will carry you to my home.” 

A slight pink hue slipped across the Human's face as they looked up at Toriel. She said she would help with walking, not do this. It was probably best they didn't strain their ankle anymore. It really did hurt. 

And off they went. Toriel had no trouble in carrying the Human through the darkened ruins. A few balls of fire we're used to light their path. Toriel was silent through most of this, focusing on using a bit of magic to open some puzzles in their way. 

As they got to a room filled with spikes she finally spoke up.

“My child,-” how peculiar she would say such a thing “- the ruins can be a dangerous place, as with the rest of the underground. Monsters create puzzles and some-” she Human looked off towards where a ball of fire had perched itself.

The spikes here had a bit of dust and blood on them if one squinted hard enough. 

“-can hurt you.” 

The Human tensed as Toriel took her first step on the spikes. Thankfully they faded out of existence as her foot touched through them. So she knew a safe path? Were the spikes poisoned? Most likely not, just painful. 

As their journey continued the Human found themselves slowly slipping into a much needed sleep. Toriel didn't mind, though it would have been nice to be able to put the Human down so she could get inside her home. Thankfully a helpful little Froggit assisted her with the door. 

Once inside she brought her guest off to what was once a room for her children. The Human was gently placed down upon the bed, a warm hand moving up to brush their cheek. As hair was moved aside the Human sighed and shifted into the touch. 

Toriel smiled and moved down to begin examining that hurt ankle. She gasped softly at finally seeing the white powder covering the entirety of the Human's shoes. A hand slowly moved down to begin undoing the laces of those dirtied sneakers. 

The shoes were removed as carefully as possible, Toriel unable to help herself from thoroughly scrutinizing them. Her attentions then went back to the Human. She knew it wasn't the best decision but she began hunting for more remnants of dust. That ankle needed help but she needed to know.

Gentle, warm hands ghosted over the Human's arms. They paused at the palms, Toriel leaning in for a closer look. Cold shot down her spine as she saw even more dust caked beneath nails. A shuddering breath and she moved onto the Human's shirt.

Even more dust littered the fabrics here. Though there was something odd about the pattern. She looked down at the Human's pants to see a thick layer covering their knees. 

Toriel furrowed her brow in confusion as she tried to think this over. This Human was weak, injured. They didn't fight that creature near that horrid hole, they didn't even resist her assistance. Why were they covered in dust? 

With a sign she decided that ankle was neglected long enough. Getting down on her knees, she was easily able to reach the injured ankle and examine it. 

The skin wasn't broken, she didn't feel any fractures. It felt like a normal foot. A bit swollen now, but some ice could help with that. The Human just needed to stay off their feet for a while, get some good food, and they most definitely needed to clean up. 

Toriel slowly got up to her feet. A final glace was given to her guest before she exited, closing the door behind herself. 

'Take a deep breath in and hold it. That's it…’ 

Toriel followed her own instructions, bowing her head as she leaned lightly against the door. A breath in, a breath out. Nice and slow, calming. 

A final exhale and she opened her eyes. Her face scrunched up at spotting some dust on her own clothing now. She reached down to brush off what was mostly on her knees and chest. All she did was kneel down? How could so much- wait.

Toriel froze mid pat at the realization. 

_______

 

Toriel hummed softly to herself as she flipped a page in her book. She'd left a slice of pie on the floor for her guest. A soft creak caught her attention, a soft tap following after. She put her book down as the sound turned into her guest peeping into the living room. 

The Human looked far better than when they'd first met. Even if they had a serious case of bed head and were still covered in dust.

“Did you enjoy the pie, my child?”

The Human raised a brow at that before shrugging it off. Maybe that was just a monster thing? A motherly thing? Whatever it was it wasn't bad so there was no use in trying to stop it. 

With a nod the Human hobbled their way over to the table and sat down. The plate was gently placed in front of them as Toriel stood. 

“Did you rest well?” 

Another nod and Toriel took the plate, bringing it to the kitchen. When she came back the Human was watching her in a somewhat unsettling way. They were just… staring. It made her a bit uneasy. But, this was her guest. She moved back to her seat and clasped her hands together upon her lap. 

“I don't mean to be rude but can you speak?” 

Maybe starting with something lighter would be able to lead into the dust. She was curious and this Human hadn't hurt anyone, at least not yet if they wanted to. She was against hurting others but if it meant protecting everyone in the underground… She was not her husband though she knew right from wrong.

The Human shook their head no and frowned a bit. Toriel frowned as well. She suddenly smiled with bright eyes, standing from her spot and rushing off. The Human raised a brow, resting their head on a hand. Curious… 

Toriel returned moments later with a blank journal and a pen. The Human looked the items over before slowly taking them. 

“Now we can speak, my child. But only if you want to.” 

The Human looked the fancy little book over, unable to keep from smiling at the little fuzzy pen that they'd been handed. The book was opened and the first entry was made. 

“"Thank you"”

Toriel beamed at seeing the scraggly handwriting. 

“You're welcome.” 

The Human began scribbling again. 

“"Did I fall down the mountain?"”

Toriel hummed as she read that, giving a small nod. 

“Yes, you are in the ruins.”

The Human sighed and closed their eyes. They seemed pleased with that for some reason. Toriel was still suspicious but the Human hadn't done anything. 

“May I ask you a question, my child?” 

The Human looked up at her and gave a small grin. 

“"You just did.”"

Toriel sighed and gave a soft smile. 

“I don't want to sound rude… How did you manage to get so much dust on yourself?” 

The Human's face went blank as they looked through Toriel. She swallowed thickly as the Human seemingly sized her up. She was ready, though. Whatever she had to do to keep them safe… 

A few blinks and the Human's gaze returned to the book. A few scribbles and the book was pushed forward. With a sign the Human hid their face in their arms on the table. 

Toriel looked down at the note. 

“"I don't want to talk about it."”

Toriel looked the Human over, furrowing her brow at hearing a soft sniffle. That didn't sound like the sound of someone wanting to hurt but someone that was hurt. 

The Human tensed at a warm hand on their shoulder before slowly relaxing. Toriel was nice, she most definitely wasn't harmless, but a flower was even dangerous down here. Toriel was safe. 

“Very well, my child. If you need anything use this to call me.” 

The Human rasied their head, spotting the phone set down in front of them. A simple little flip phone, perfect for calls-not for texts. 

“"Thank you”" 

The Human pushed the book towards her before taking it back and scribbling some more. 

“"My ankle hurts.”"

“Oh, I'll go get some ice.” 

____________

 

As the hours passed, Toriel became even more intrigued by this Human. They hadn't asked to leave a single time, they took everything they were given gratefully, and they slowly seemed to be opening up. 

It was a relief when the Human finally got cleaned up. Sadly she only had clothing in a size much larger than the Human so a shirt became a dress. They seemed amused by it, especially since Toriel had to use some ribbons to make sure it would stay on properly. But anything was better than being covered in dust. 

The Human returned to the living room after the bit of pampering and returned to their spot at the table. Some scribbles were written, a thank you note along with their positive opinion on the new garb. 

“I will need to make you new clothes, my child. I don't think mine will work for extended periods…” 

The Human gave a silent little laugh. She was such a nice monster. The Human could tell she was a mother. A bit odd how the Human was immediately adopted but they weren't complaining. They'd only met one rude monster since being down here.

Eventually the Human fell asleep at the table. It was mid conversation with Toriel so the scribble trailed all the way down the page. She couldn't help a small laugh. Those sheets would be dry soon enough. She wouldn't have the Human return to a dust covered bed. 

She plucked up a light blanket from her chair and draped it over the Human's back. The Human's hair was given a gentle pet before she left to go check on the laundry. 

When she walked past the Human's room something small caught her eye. She paused and back stepped, head tilting as she examined a little bag on the floor. It was rude to be nosy but she couldn't help it. 

Toriel entered the room, eyes trained on that little white bag. She knelt down beside it, looking at it more closely. She slowly picked the small bag up, brows furrowing. It felt soft inside, almost like sand? But it wasn't quite like sand, it was lighter as well. 

The little string on top was loosened just enough to see the contents. Toriel's eyes went wide as she saw exactly what she was holding. She tied the bag back up and placed it back where it was left. 

She stood from her spot and turned, quickly going off to the restroom. Her hands were cleaned of the nonexistent dust on them before she went off to get the dry sheets, not to mention the Human's clothes. 

It didn't take long to make the bed. Once she finished she returned to the living room, smiling at seeing the Human still asleep. She was trying to piece all of this together in a positive light, she truly was. 

The Human had been covered in dust but hadn't fought that monster. They were kind so far, but that bag of dust… 

Toriel hummed when the Human shifted. Oh, right, she needed to tuck them in. She gently scooped the Human up and walked them to their room. The sheets had already been pulled back in preparation so all it took was to lie them down and pull the blankets up. She gently pet the Human's cheek, her eyes trailing back to the bag on the floor. 

She pulled her eyes away and exited the room, closing the door behind herself. With a deep breath she attempted to clear her mind again. 

Maybe she needed something else to clear her mind… 

____

It didn't take long for the knocking to begin, the now usual evening routine. It would start around 7 and end near 8. 

Toriel placed a chair down beside the door and smiled warmly. 

“Who's there?”

“Boo.”

“Boo who?”

“Don't cry, it's just a joke.” 

Both sides laughed a bit at the bad little joke, though Toriel wasn't sounding the same. It seemed the other party caught on some. 

“So uh… You alright in there?” 

“Hm? Oh, I'm fine…” 

Toriel toyed with her sleeves a bit before continuing. 

“... May I ask you something?” 

“... Sure…?” 

Toriel furrowed her brows, trying to think of how to word this. 

“... If you saw someone with a bag of dust, what would you think..?” 

The other side went quiet at that one. It was making Toriel's hair stand on end. She probably shouldn't have said anything. 

“Is the dust from many people or just one?” 

Toriel bowed her head, looking down at her hands. 

“... I don't know.” 

“Are you safe in there?” 

Concern was facing the other's voice now, it was a slight shift but it was there. 

“Yes, I'm safe… I was only curious… “

The other side sighed and there was a bit of shuffling fabric, the light click of something touching together as well. 

“Alright, well. If it's from one person maybe they wanted to keep them close? If it's from a lot… “

The other side went silent for a bit. 

“Stay safe in there.” 

“I will. I have an a-Maze-ing defense system.” 

The other side snorted at the pun. They'd spoken of the puzzles before so of course the place would be somewhat like a maze. 

“It's your turn on the knock knock jokes.” 

“Oh! Alright.” 

Toriel smiled a bit and knocked on the door. 

“Who's there?”

“Tank.”

“Tank who?”

“You're welcome.” 

They both laughed a bit, taking turns on who would knock and give the worst of jokes. It went on for nearly an hour before the other side had to call it quits. 

“This has been real fun, but I have to get home to my brother.” 

“I should get some rest as well… Same time tomorrow?” 

“Yeah. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” 

With that Toriel got up and returned the chair to its rightful place. She really did enjoy speaking with that fellow through the door, she knew so much about him. But, they'd never exchanged names. It added to the mystery and she wouldn't be the one to ruin it. Besides, that door would never open anyways. They would never truly meet…


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> into snowdin!

The sweet scent of pancakes floated through the air, lulling Toriel out of sleep. At first she didn't think much of it, slipping out of bed. A long stretch, a deep inhale, and it began to click. Was her guest making breakfast? 

With a yawn she slipped from her room into the restroom to do her usual morning routine. Healthy teeth and combed hair were a necessity. 

It didn't take long for Toriel to walk into the living room. It seemed the table had already been made. A large pile of fluffy pancakes was on a center table with two plates on opposite sides of the table. 

A gentle tapping was coming from the kitchen as the Human walked out with their cane. A bottle of syrup was in their free hand. 

Toriel smiled warmly at her guest, watching them finish up the table. 

“Thank you, my child. This looks wonderful.” 

The Human smiled in her direction and nodded in thanks. Toriel took her seat and the two began having breakfast. Too many pancakes had been made for the two of them and were stored in the freezer after breakfast was done. 

Toriel assisted in bringing the dishes to the kitchen, insisting she do them. The Human nodded and slipped away with their cane. Toriel began running the water, tensing when the front door shut. Oh, hopefully they didn't wonder too far! 

The dishes were done with haste, a bit of fire magic drying them off once they were rinsed. The moment the final dish was done she was hurrying to the front door. 

Relief washed over Toriel as she saw the Human sitting in her front yard near her tree. They seemed content just sitting there. Toriel yawned into her hand as she wondered back to the living room. There were some books she needed to catch up on.

____

Days passed like this; the Human preparing breakfast, Toriel worrying for them. It only took a week before the pain in the Human's ankle was bearable enough to forgo the cane. Toriel was pleased with this, even if it meant catching the Human sitting at the top of her tree.

“Knock knock.”

“Who's there?” 

“Ash.”

“Ash who?”

“Bless you.”

The two laughed a bit at their bad joke. More knocks rose up on the other side. 

“Who's there?” 

“Cow says.”

“Cow says who?”

“No, cow says moo!” 

Toriel snorted a bit at that one, shaking her head. She went rigid when a hand touched her shoulder. She relaxed once she realized it was the Human. 

“My child, you startled me.” 

A folded note was offered to Toriel before the Human started the long walk back upstairs. Toriel raised a brow as she looked the paper over. She opened it, gasping a bit at what was written. 

“... It's your turn?”

Toriel put the note in her pocket and cleared her throat. 

“Yes, it is.”

She moved her hand to knock but the voice on the other side cut her off. 

“Is everything alright in there?”

Toriel's hand lowered onto her lap. 

“... May… may I ask something of you?” 

“Sure I guess…” 

“... If… if a Human were to come through… could you promise me you won't hurt them…” 

Silence hung on both sides at that request. Toriel could feel tears welling up. This was her friend, they wouldn't hurt the Human… But everyone out there was of the same mind, they would kill to be free. 

“... If it means that much to you, I promise.” 

Toriel wiped the tears from her eyes, beaming at the door. 

“Thank you.”

A soft sniffle and she knocked on the door. 

“Who's there?”

“A little old lady.”

“A little old lady who?”

“I didn't know you could yodel!”

The joke had soft laughter rise up, though not as warm as before. It was clear they were both a bit drained by the conversation and promise. It was something huge to ask, to prevent everyone their freedom in sparing a Human. But, she had to have her reasons…

____

An entire month passed after that promise. In that time the Human regained their strength in its entirety. The two had grown into a routine of sorts. The Human would make breakfast, help clean around the house, read with Toriel, then listen to her little knock knock jokes from the other room. It was spying but the interaction was both cute and sad. She just needed to open that door.

Toriel hummed softly as she walked into the living room, a note left upon the table. She plucked it up, frowning a bit. 

"“I'm going exploring for a few hours. Call me when you're awake. I'll tap on the speaker once for yes twice for no.”" 

She didn't need to be told twice. The number was dialed and Toriel took a deep breath. 

One ring…

Two rings…

Three-

Three distinct taps came over the cell and Toriel released her held breath. 

“My child, are you alright?”

A single tap. 

“Do you know your way back?”

A single tap.

Toriel looked the note over some more, a firm frown on her face. Why did the Human want to explore so early in the morning? 

“Can you return at lunch?” 

A single tap. 

“Thank you. I will be here waiting.” 

The phone call ended and Toriel shut her eyes. The Human would be fine. They were healthy, they were strong. Still… 

____

 

“SANS!” 

Papyrus screeched as he caught his brother sleeping on the job yet again. Ugh, this skeleton was nothing but lazy bones. 

Sans slowly looked up, giving his brother a tired grin. 

“What's up bro?”

Papyrus slammed a hand to his own face, shaking his head. His hands shot into the air and he started pacing in front of his brother's post. 

“What's up is that you are sleeping on patrol! What if a Human comes in?!” 

“Maybe they might nap too.”

“SANS!” 

Sans laughed a bit as he slipped from his stool. 

“Alright, I'll go back on patrol.” 

“Good, we need to be ready.”

Sans looked his brother over, wearing that battle body like always. He sighed a bit as he thought over how cool his brother was. Papyrus was just so loveable… 

“I'll be making my rounds. Oh, and Undyne wanted to train on spaghetti more this evening.” 

Papyrus's hand moved to his chin as an expression of deep thought crossed his face. 

“Perhaps I should tell her my idea…”

“Your spice-ial idea?”

“Yes, my-”

Frustration crossed Papyrus's face as he finally realized the pun. Ugh. 

“I'm going on patrol now!” 

Papyrus started walking off, pausing just before he was out of sight.

“No more napping, lazy bones!”

Sans chuckled a bit and walked back over to his post. He plucked up a bottle of ketchup and squeezed it, frowning when nothing came out. That was probably because it was frozen solid. Oh well. 

He plucked it up and set it in his pocket. Maybe it would melt after a while. A good shake and it should be fine to drink. 

With that he turned and started wondering about the usual patrol area. A quick shortcut and he was at the entrance to the ruins. He was tempted to knock on the door but vines caught his attention. Strange, they weren't there yesterday. 

His vision trailed over to the fresh footsteps in the snow, eyes going wide. So either she'd left or… 

In silence he began following after these footsteps, remaining close to the trees. He didn't catch sight of a twig until it was too late. The Human froze and looked behind themselves, thankfully not seeing the hidden skeleton. 

Sans breathed out a sigh of relief as the steps continued. He slipped out of hiding, trailing behind the newcomer. His hand slowly rose up, a Gaster Blaster forming. It was surrounded by bones that would assist with the kill. 

The Human paused at the bridge Papyrus had tried to gate off. The blaster began powering up, San's eye glowing brightly. The Human was entirely unaware, defenseless. They were simply examining the woodwork of the strange gate. 

Sans grit his teeth, closing his hand into a fist. The Blaster disappeared, as with the bones. 

A promise was a promise.

He reached within his pocket and fitted his favorite little gag onto his hand. Hopefully this went well. 

____

It was so weird. The ruins were warm and now they were out here in the cold. Now the Human could see why Toriel insisted upon knitting a sweater before allowing them to truly leave. That fight had been interesting, though the Human had won easily. That wasn't their first encounter with a monster.

As they examined the weird structure the sound of crunching snow had them on edge. The Human kept their eyes glued on the woodwork until the steps stopped directly behind them. 

“Hey, don't you know how to greet a new pal? Turn around and shake my hand.” 

The Human slowly turned, unable to really see in this darkened forest. Still, they could see the shorter figure standing before them. The stranger was holding out their hand in greeting. Holding their breath, the Human reached out and firmly took hold of the stranger's hand. 

An uproarious fart sound exploded from whatever was in the stranger's hand. As this happened a glowing orb of magic formed above them, illuminating them both. 

The Human's eyes went wide at seeing the skeleton before them. Their hand was released and it slowly lowered to their side. 

“The old woopie cushion in the hand trick.” 

The skeleton grinned and tilted his head some. 

“I'm Sans. Welcome to the...” 

Sans trailed off as the Human leaned in to look at him closer. He took a step back, raising a brow. 

“Uh, never seen a skeleton before?” 

The Human smiled a bit and stood up straight. They removed the notebook Toriel gifted them and scribbled on it. The note was handed to Sans who took it in confusion. 

“So you have? Alright. Hopefully they didn't have a bone to pick with you.” 

The Human smiled a bit more, shaking their head. This skeleton was definitely the one Toriel had been speaking with. He seemed nice, even on this side. But, the Human had been warned of the dangers here. Their soul was the key to freedom… 

“Let's go off into an opening and get some light. Just go over that bridge, my brother tried to block it off.” 

The Human nodded and turned, beginning to walk towards the distant light they could see. As they walked Sans couldn't help but look them over. He'd dealt with Humans before. They haunted his dreams as well, but the real ones were easy to take down. This one would be no different if they tried something. 

The Human covered their eyes as they got into the opening. Sans's attention went off to the distant sound of crunching snow and he grinned. 

“Go hide behind that la-... It's gone?” 

The Human frowned at that, quickly good over to the guard stand instead. They slipped inside, managing to slip on a small packet of half frozen ketchup. The loud thud didn't phase the approaching skeleton, Papyrus marching right up to sans. 

“Hey bro.”

“I forgot something…” 

Papyrus reached into a pocket and pulled out a sock, tossing it at Sans. The sock stuck comically to the skeleton's jacket. 

“That was on my battle body this morning.” 

“Well, I guess it wanted to static around.” 

“Sans!”

Sans grinned and removed the sock from his jacket. Upon closer examination it was not his sock. 

“This is your sock.”

“What?”

Sans offered it out to him. 

“It's too big for my feet, bro.” 

Papyrus opened his mouth to speak before huffing and snatching it back. 

“Then why was my sock on my battle body?”

“I dunno, maybe it wanted to be a battle sock.”

Papyrus smacked himself in the face and huffed. 

“Anyways, stay on the lookout for Humans.” 

“I'll go check my post.” 

“That isn't what I meant.”

Sans smiled at his brother, glancing over to the stand. 

“I have a good feeling about my post.” 

At this moment the Human's ketchup covered hand came up to plop onto the wooden shelf on its front, assisting in lifting them up. 

“Sans! Take this seriously!” 

Sans couldn't help but grin more as he saw the Human slowly rise up, ketchup everywhere.

“Alright, I won't check my post.” 

Papyrus huffed and turned on heel, eyes shut. 

“You should be patrol as I, the Great Papyrus, do! You have more of a chance encountering a Human while exploring than sleeping.” 

Sans continued watching the Human try to clean off the ketchup. 

“Whatever you say, bro.” 

Papyrus shook his head and started wandering off. Once he was out of sight Sans went back to his post. 

“I should probably go catch-up with him.” 

The Human squinted at sans, flicking a small packet of ketchup at him. It landed short. 

“That was my brother, Papyrus. He's cool. He's looking for Humans but he's harmless.” 

As Sans spoke the Human was doing their best to clean off the ketchup. It was beginning to freeze and get crusty. 

“So, my brother put together some puzzles. Could you play along and solve them? It would really make his day.” 

The Human paused in their attempts and squinted at the skeleton. 

“What's that look for?”

A horrible grin spread across the Human's lips as they took the notebook back out, scribbling on it. The note was taken by a wary Sans. 

“"I will for a hug."” 

Sans stared at the note before shrugging. He turned back to the Human and spread his arms. 

“Sure thi-hk!”

Without hesitation the Human plucked Sans up in a hug, lifting him off the ground. Sans leaned back a bit as that grinning face got closer. 

“I guess this was a good way to lift your spirits..”

The Human rolled their eyes and gently put sans back down. A hand was plopped on his head and he finally realized why they wanted a hug when a ketchup packet splattered on his head. 

He looked down at himself, now covered in the red goop. The Human brushed their hands together and put them on their hips. Sans started laughing to himself and shaking his head. 

He looked back up just in time to get another note. 

“"You're punny. I like it.”"

Sans grinned some more and shrugged, shoving his hands back in his pockets. 

“I can't help it, I have an overactive funny bone. Anyways, I should go catch up with my bro. See ya.” 

A quick wave and Sans began walking down the path. The Human smiled and shook their head, looking themselves over. This didn’t look suspicious at all. Definitely didn’t look like they just went on a killing spree out in town.

The Human gave their clothes a final wipe as they began following the path those skeletons had taken. It didn’t take long before they saw both brothers. It seemed as though they’d seen the Human from some distance away and were discussing… rocks? 

Before the human could finally get to the duo Papyrus ran off cackling to himself. The human raised a brow and looked down to Sans. He shrugged and grinned. 

“He’s excited.” 

The Human nodded and turned to continue their journey only to stop. They turned on heel and knelt down to look at Sans closer. The skeleton didn’t lean back this time. The human mouthed something as they looked over Sans’s clean jacket. How…? 

“What?”

The human motioned to themselves covered in ketchup then pointed at Sans’s jacket. 

“... I don’t want to wear condiments, but thanks anyways.” 

The human squinted at him. Clearly this skeleton had some sort of power to them. Come to think of it, when they’d hugged Sans had pulled in his soul as much as possible. But now they could faintly feel it. They wouldn’t dare try and draw it out, that would surely mean a fight, but the human was curious now. 

They stood tall and gave a little wave before continuing on their journey. The footprints were easy enough to follow. 

Sans watched as the human left, sighing out in relief and slouching a bit. He wasn’t sure how he felt about this one yet. One had come in with a gun once. That was easy to take care of, but this one didn’t have anything. Well, they had a stick, but what could a stick do? 

The skeleton turned to walk back into the trees, easily popping out beside their home. He placed the ketchup from his jacket inside their fridge, removing another container that wasn’t frozen. When the door shut he was back where he needed to be, ketchup in his pocket. 

“An elaborate puzzle made by the brilliant Alphys!” 

As Papyrus continued to explain the puzzle, Sans was watching the human closely. It seemed they were trying to pay attention, they’d even taken out their notebook. But the way this puzzle was… 

“Do you understand?” 

The human shook their head no and Papyrus began to fumble over their previous instructions, effectively throwing them in the trash. Once he finished fumbling he activated the machine. An elaborate mix of colors began to glow on the tiles in front of them before going grey. 

“... it broke… Do not fear! I, the Great Papyrus will create another puzzle for you to solve, human!” 

And off he went again, running to make yet another puzzle. The human walked over the grey tiles, pausing when they got to Sans. Sans simply raised a brow. 

“What?” 

The human shrugged and continued on. Sans was beginning to feel a bit uneasy with this human. It was bad enough they weren’t a child, they might actually have some power. But, they hadn’t done anything yet. He would just need to keep watching. And maybe try a prank or two. 

____

It took some time, and some puzzles, before the Human came across Sans again. This time he was just standing in the snow near some ice cream salesman. Of course the human had bought a ‘Nicecream’. It looked tasty, even if it was already freezing outside. 

“Hey, I’m starting up my own business too. Want some fried snow? It’s only 5g.” 

The human raised a brow, picking up a handful of snow from the ground. They formed it into a ball, giving the skeleton a nod. 

“Did I say 5g? I meant 50g.” 

The human simply held the snowball. Why…? Oh well, they’d play along. With another nod the human started playing with the snow, trying to shape it into something that wasn’t a sphere. 

“How about 5000g?” 

The human started poking at the snowball, nodding some. 

“Okay, final offer, 50000g.” 

The human paused, looking the skeleton over. Another nod and Sans shut his eyes as he spoke, grinning. 

“That’s a lot of ca-” 

He was cut off by the snowball hitting him directly in the forehead. His eyes shot wide just in time to see the Human running around some trees and out of sight. He glanced up as he brushed the snow off, chuckling a bit to himself. This human might be fun. 

Sans returned home after that encounter. This was definitely different that what he felt like should be happening. It wasn’t bad it was just strange. He knew where Papyrus would be fighting the human so all he needed to do was wait. If anything happened to his brother that human would be added to Asgore’s collection. 

____

 

Sans could see his brother beaming as the human approached. 

“HUMAN!”

And on his brother went, rambling as he got his thoughts out. Sans settle down against a tree and rested his head on his hands. This was going to be an interesting fight. 

When the human’s soul was drawn out for battle they took a defensive stance. The stick in their hand was tossed aside. Papyrus continued talking as the Human sized him up. Somehow his brother ended up saying something that had Sans chuckling to himself in disbelief. 

So they were going to go on a date after this fight now? Cute. 

At the first attacks the human easily moved about in dodging them, as to be expected. Someone just needed to lower their soul for the magic to hit it, this wasn’t the fight to be concerned with. 

“So you won’t fight… Then let’s see if you can handle my fabled blue attack!”

Now here was where his brother’s fun would truly begin. A plethora of blue bones washed over the human until their soul shifted to a bright blue hue. 

___

Gravity suddenly felt far stronger now, but the Human managed to see a bone coming their way. With a quick jump they managed to dodge the attack. Papyrus cackled to himself in glee at the sight of the Human’s new hue though the human seemed deeply concerned. 

They held their soul closely, examining exactly what had happened. Magic was encasing it, preventing them from moving their soul as they pleased. This was something they weren’t used to. At all. 

Still, the human stood tall and offered their soul out to Papyrus, effectively sparing him. In retaliation a wave of bones rose from the ground. The human did their best to dodge the attacks though this hinderance was proving to be too much. 

Sans couldn’t help but laugh silently to himself as his brother put on beauty products. He loved his brother’s shenanigans, if only he would partake in more puns. 

“Behold! My special attack!” 

Sans slammed both hands over his mouth to prevent his laughter from spewing out. The Human simply stared at the scene unfolding in front of them. While Papyrus was yelling at the dog they took out a stick of NiceCream and popped it into their mouth. 

The moment they finished eating it, Papyrus was back in action. More attacks were sent out, the Human doing their best do dodge. The popsickle stick fell from the Human’s mouth when a massive wave of bones came their way. 

With as much strength as they could muster, the Human leapt over the bones. Their eyes remained shut tightly as they focused and hoped for a safe landing. A quick peek and they were far, FAR above what was a safe distance. The human glanced back at that wave of bones as they fell onto the soft snow below. 

On all fours, the human looked up to Papyrus, a single bone creeping its way over. The human quickly got to their feet, effectively stepping over this one. 

“Well, it’s clear you can’t defeat me. So I, the Great Papyrus, will spare you!” 

The Human slumped in relief at this, falling down to their knees. The blue glow disappeared as their soul settled back in place. The fight was over. 

As they caught their breath, Papyrus was rambling to himself in despair. He knew with this happening, without capturing the human, he would never be a part of the royal guard. And, even worse, Undyne would be disappointed in him! 

As the skeleton continued on and on, the Human got to their feet. They slowly approached the tall skeleton. Once they were directly behind him, the human gave a small tug to Papyrus’s scarf. He turned around, sniffling a bit. 

The human wrapped their arms around him and gave a warm hug, effectively freezing him solid. It took a few seconds for him to respond, scooping the human up and twirling with them. 

“Of course we can be friends, Human!” 

Papyrus held them underneath one arm as one hand moved to his chin. 

“Though now I need to prepare for our date…” 

He grabbed the human beneath the arms and held them high, grinning as broadly as a skeleton could. Then he began rambling on information that would be highly useful in the human’s escape. Once finished he finally put them down and struck a pose. 

“And now, I, The Great Papyrus, must take my leave! I’ll make some spaghetti for our date!” 

____

 

Sans watched as his brother ran off towards their home. That was certainly an interesting fight. His brother was learning a lot from Undyne and it was showing. He looked back at the Human, sighing as they went off towards Waterfall. Off to continue their journey he supposed. 

___

The Human couldn’t help but stare as they walked into the massive cave system. It was gorgeous. The sounds of rushing water filled the air, echoing throughout the cave system. Crystals were growing on the ceilings, illuminating everything in a gentle glow. They continued to walk, eventually coming across yet another post. 

Sans looked over to the Human and gave a warm smile. The human walked over, looking the stand over. Their attention returned to Sans and he began talking about having two jobs and taking breaks. The human was half listening as they continued looking around the caves. 

“So, yes or no?”

The human nodded and Sans slipped out of his post. 

“Follow me, I know a shortcut.” 

The human raised a brow before realizing they’d agreed to something without realizing what it was. Still, they followed Sans into the darkness only to pop out in a warmly lit bar. The human’s eyes went wide at seeing quite a few of the monsters they’d fought just hours ago. They all seemed to know Sans as he wondered about and spoke with them, managing to get everyone to laugh. 

“Here, get comfy.” 

Sans plopped down on a bar stool, the Human following suit. Yet another uproarus fart sound exploded from a dreaded whoopie cushion. The human’s eyes went wide before they rolled them. Of course this skeleton would continue their pranks. The human decided to go on with their own if this is what Sans wanted. 

“Watch out, sometimes weirdos put whoopie cushions on the seat. Anyways whaddaya want? A burger or fries?”

The Human held up two fingers, hoping that Sans would understand option number two. 

“That sounds good, Grillby we’ll have a double order of fries.” 

The bartender wandered off to get their food, the human watching the fire creature disappear. Their attention returned to Sans and for some reason he was combing nonexistent hair. Weird. 

“So, what do you think of my brother?” 

The human plucked out their notebook and scribbled in it. 

“So you think he’s awesome? I’d go for cool myself.” 

Sans rested his head on a hand, unable to stop grinning. Before he could continue Grillby returned with their food, setting it down in front of the duo. 

 

“Here’s the grub, want any ketchup?”

The human narrowed their eyes on Sans. 

“I’ll take that as a no.” 

With a shrug he popped the cap off and downed it like a soda. The human leaned away from him, an expression of mild disgust dominating their face. 

He put the bottle down and wiped the excess ketchup off. 

“So, I wanted to ask you something.” 

He looked away from the bottle, smiling over at the human. In an instant everything around them felt as if it had stopped, frozen in time. 

“Do you know anything about a talking flower?” 

The human nodded without hesitation, wanting to elaborate. Before they could even get a word out Sans began talking about his brother and explaining a strange ‘echo flower’ that would appear and play tricks on him. Maybe that flower from the beginning of the ruins was an echo flower? Could it hurt Papyrus? It almost killed them…

“Can you keep an eye out for anything like that? Thanks.” 

Before the human could even try to say anything Sans was getting up, time starting again. Just before he left he turned back, shrugging. 

“That was a long break, I can’t believe you dragged me from work so long. Wanna cover the bill? It’s 10000g” 

The human’s eyes went wide. Sans chuckled some and shook his head, glancing over to Grillby. 

“I’m kidding, put it on my tab.”

He gave a small wave as he started walking out, only to pause just before the door. 

“Oh yeah, by the way I was going to say something but I forgot.” 

He shrugged and continued on his way. The human furrowed their brow before following suit. There weren’t any slipper prints on the snow outside, which was odd. But the human had determined that this skeleton was unique. If they stayed down here longer it wouldn’t be too hard to learn more about them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To Waterfall!!

Hours passed as the human explored through the great caves of Waterfall. It truly was beautiful here and the flowers actually spoke. The human had found themselves wondering from flower to flower, listening to a conversation go by.

 

As their journey continued it finally became apparent something was following them. The Human thought they were imagining things but the sound was far too real now. They slowed their walking, listening as the steps got closer and closer. 

 

They stopped directly behind the Human. And then something small and orange was running right in front of them, beaming for some reason. It started rambling on about someone named Undyne and how cool they were, that they were in Waterfall right now. The little monster asked if the Human was looking for this monster as well, not even allowing them to answer before rambling on and on.

 

The Human continued to listen, venturing deeper into the caves. The monster child just wouldn't stop talking, but it was honestly kinda cute to see someone so passionate about something. Even if this Undyne person didn't sound all that great. 

 

When they approached a high ledge the human paused, looking it over. The monster child frowned, hopping a bit to try and get up. 

 

“I think Undyne might be up there but you're too big for me to lift up…” 

 

The Human gave a soft smile and knelt down. They laced their hands and gave a little motion with their head, hoping the kid would understand. It took a few seconds before it clicked but the monster child eventually stepped on the makeshift step. 

 

The monster kid was was easily hefted up, more or less given a good toss, up onto the ledge. They landed with a thud but after a few seconds peeped back over. 

 

They backed away when the human ran towards the wall, using an imperfection to jump up. Their hands gripped hard on the rocks as they made their way up. Once back on solid ground, they dusted their hands. 

 

“Now we can go find Undyne!” 

 

The Human put their hands in their pockets, following after the energetic child. The rain was entirely ignored by the both of them, even if it meant the Human's sweater was getting soggy and heavy. 

 

After a decent bit of walking they came to a massive opening in the caves. The human's eyes went wide at the gorgeous sight before them. The human nearly bumped into the monster child when they stopped walking. Luckily it seemed they both wanted to admire the view. 

 

The human took this chance to take off their sweater. They squeezed as much water out of it as possible. Once done the clothing vanished into thin air. This didn't get missed by the monster kid. 

 

“Uh, what did you just do? Do you know magic?” 

 

The human thought for a bit before nodding, moving to sit down on the cool stone below. 

 

“Cool! I'm still learning, I can't do much yet…” 

 

The human nodded again and their writing book reappeared in their hands. They scribbled in it and offered it to the kid. 

 

“Am I hungry? Yeah, why? Can your magic make food???”

 

The human shook their head no and scribbled some more. 

 

“No but you can save things for later? Cool!”

 

The human silently laughed a bit at how enthusiastic the kid was. They decided to play this up a bit, just to keep that going. With a few wiggles of their fingers and a snap from both hands, a plate of pie appeared before them.

 

The kid gasped, leaning down to look at the pie closer. As he went in to give it a sniff he lost his balance, effectively faceplanting straight into the sweet treat. 

 

Silent laughter started up, the human huffing loudly and gasping. The kid quickly got off the plate, wanting to apologise but clearly they didn't have to. He licked off what he could from his face before plopping down in front of the ruined pie. 

 

The kid scrunched up his face in protest when a napkin started to wipe away the mess. His legs flailed as he resisted but the human's cleaning was far too effective. 

 

The moment he was released he popped up and huffed. The human simply grinned, motioning back to the pie. The kid's harsh look faded and they went back to resting beside their new friend. 

 

“I could've cleaned myself…” 

 

The human rolled their eyes and pushed the plate closer to the kid. He, far more carefully this time, leaned in and started snacking on the treat. 

 

“Did shu make dish?” 

 

Clearly someone wasn't taught it was rude to speak with their mouth full but the human didn't mind. They shook their head no and scribbled down on the paper. 

 

“Sho your friend made it? Tashts good!” 

 

The human made note to tell Toriel when they saw her again. When the pie was all gone the plate disappeared again. 

 

“Thanks! Wanna keep going? We'll find Undyne eventually.” 

 

The human's smile faded a but but they still nodded. The kid really wanted to see this Undyne person. Wait did they even realize who they were with right now? Probably not… 

 

The two continued on through Waterfall, the kid continuing to ramble. Idly listening, the human was more interested in the glowing crystals around them. The human didn't even notice when they started leading the way, the caves becoming darker and darker. 

 

“A-Aaah!” 

 

The human turned on heel at the yell. Even in the dim light they could see the bright orange figure slip from their path. They fell backwards, unable to even attempt to grab for the ledge. 

 

“Oof!” 

 

With a thud the kid landed on something solid. They gasped, eyes going wide when they realized they weren't dead. The human was standing on the ledge above them, irises glowing a fiery amber. The monster kid shrunk back into whatever had caught them, a bit scared of that look. 

 

They shifted to stand, freezing when they saw the orange disk keeping them from sheer death. The child began trembling as he looked down the opaque magic into the darkness below. 

 

The Human slowly rose their hand, the disk beginning to glide up. The kid curled up on it, terrified of the fall below. The disk was moved over the path and gently settled down on top. The kid flopped on the ground, embracing the feeling of being safe again. 

 

They squeaked when the human plucked them up in a hug. The kid groaned as the Human set then down and started looking for injuries. 

 

“I'm fine! Hey, your eyes are back to normal…” 

 

The Human huffed and pointed a finger at his nose. A quick snatching of their book and scribble later had the human showing a darker than usual note. 

 

“”Be more careful. You could have gotten hurt.”” 

 

The monster frowned and looked at the ground, shifting their feet a bit. 

 

“Okay…”

 

The human gently pet over his head, the kid blushing. The kid shook the hand off and they started up their little adventure again. 

 

It was strangely silent after that. The kid didn't seem to want to speak about anything. It took all of ten minutes before he finally piped up.

 

“Thanks for saving me…” 

 

The human gave a soft smile in the kid's direction, continuing on the path. 

 

“... Undyne uses magic too, but she makes spears.” 

 

The human jumped back when a glowing cyan spear appeared, almost as if the kid summoned it. He gasped, beaming as he searched for his hero.

 

A warrior in armor jumped down seemingly out of nowhere, landing just behind the child. 

 

“You.”

 

“Undyne!!!” 

 

The warrior froze at the child's voice. They slowly looked down at the little beaming monster. What was he doing here?! They growled in frustration before snatching the child and running at full speed the other direction. 

 

“I told you to stay away from humans!” 

 

The Human moved to chase after but that tone sounded more caring than angry. It was still filled with rage, though. 

 

It took a bit before the human continued on. They managed to return to finding those speaking flowers, getting lost in the story they told. It was sad how all these creatures were trapped underground, forced to live without sunlight. The flowers spoke of hopes and dreams, even taunting one another a bit with the similar dreams they held. 

 

The human couldn't help but think of home as they explored. The night sky truly was beautiful, especially on full moons. The sunrise and sunset would always be filled with rainbows of color. Pinks in the evening we're the human's favorite, while the morning's warm orange glow brightened their soul.

 

At the final flower they came across, the voice had shifted. 

 

“Right behind you.”

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> fight Fight FIGHT FIGHT!!!

Hotland was one of Sans's favorite places to nap. It was warm, oh so warm, and Undyne never really came out this far. It was the perfect place to curl up in a post and catch up on some sleep. The skeleton snuggled up in his fluffy jacket, nuzzling down into his arms. Nice and warm, oh so perfect.

 

“NYAAAAAAGH!!!”

 

Sans was tossed out of his post when something slammed into it. The stand collapsed as a very angry Undyne regained their footing in the rubble. His eyes widened at seeing the once harmless human walk out of the caves. 

 

The stick they'd been keeping this entire time was now encased in golden magic. It formed a blade and hilt around the wood, simple yet elegant. Their hair had been tied back in a warn ribbon, allowing their golden eyes to be visible to all. 

 

Undyne snarled as another spear formed in her hand. Three more formed above her head, shooting out at the human. In three swift swipes the spears were knocked aside, the human not even breaking eye contact. Their soul was shining through their shirt in a warm, golden glow.

 

Undyne rushed the human, not even waiting for them to attack back. Disks formed around her though they posed no threat. One formed beneath the Human's feet, catapulting them out of harm's way just as Undyne made her strike.

 

The Human created another disk, using it to thrust themselves full force at Undyne's back. She held up her spear to guard herself. An explosion of gold and cyan erupted from the magical weapons connecting, a sickening sizzle filling the air. 

 

Undyne snarled, pushing back with all her might against the human. A smirk crossed pale lips as the Human shifted aside, allowing Undyne's momentum to set her off balance. She recovered quickly, more spears rising up and shooting out at the human. 

 

Four spears were slashed away, the fifth managing to knock the blade from the human's hands. They stumbled a bit, a spear slicing into their stomach. A pained hiss slipped through grit teeth, eyes glowing even brighter. 

 

The human raised their fists in challenge. Undyne narrowed her eye at this, spear disappearing. If that's how they wanted to play, then fine. It wasn't honorable to fight someone unarmed anyways.

 

Undyne rushed forward, throwing out a kick the moment she was close enough. A hand shot up to block the blow, the human thrust four feet away. They lowered their hand, another disk forming beneath their feet. The disk catapulted them forward, the human going for a punch. Undyne grabbed their fist, her other hand latching onto the human's shirt. She spun with the human, sending them flying across the fire proof bridge nearby. She quickly chased after.

 

The human slammed hard into the ground, sent tumbling. They managed to get to their feet just fast enough to block one of Undyne's punches with their own fists. The human grit their teeth as disks formed behind their feet, keeping them planted in place. Still, they slid backwards at the sheer strength Undyne was exerting. 

 

“Just give up and make this EASY FOR ME!” 

 

Undyne grabbed the Human again, though this time they were ready. Disks formed beside Undyne's arms, effectively blocking her from doing a full throw. The human still went flying, Undyne punching through one of the disks. It shattered into nothing as she roared in anger. 

 

The human thrust a hand up when Undyne came down with a spear, a row of disks saving them. Three shattered and the final, fourth one was cracking under the pressure. 

 

Undyne had a wicked grin across her face. Sweat was beading up, her weight being pressed more and more into the disk until the heat finally took its toll. The fire in Undyne's eyes began to be replaced with exhaustion. The human swiped her feet out and Undyne gasped as she hit the ground. She moved to lift herself but the armor was proving to be too heavy. 

 

The human hurried to their feet, pausing as they watched this aquatic monster succumb to the heat. With a huff they stepped forward, looking down at the dying flames in that lone eye. It only took moments before she went still, the heat and armor threatening to cook her alive. 

 

Sans stared at the scene, balling up a fist as the human created a large disk beneath Undyne. She was lifted off the ground, the Human turning to return to Waterfall. They didn't even glance at Sans as they passed, focus entirely on keeping the massive disk in place. 

 

Once inside the caves the human moved the disk over a body of water. It slowly lowered down until Undyne was halfway submerged. 

 

Sweat was beading up on the human's brow as they concentrated on keeping the large disk solid. They weren't used to creations this big, especially ones that lasted so long. Luckily the monster began to shift after a bit. 

 

The disk was moved back to moist land. The human eyed the monster for a few moments, huffing a bit as they held their injured side. A disk formed over Undyne's throat, thin and sharp. The Human raised their hand slowly, the disk following suit. Their hand slammed down, the disk changing course to slice into Undyne's chest. 

 

She gasped as the green magic hit her. It soothed her aching scales, healing a few of her burns to allow the water to wash away the heat.

 

The Human huffed, recalling the book yet again. They scribbled down a note and stuck it to Undyne's moist forehead. With that they turned and began their journey back to snowdin. They couldn't use healing magic on themselves and Papyrus seemed nice enough. 

 

Sans slowly walked back into the caves, hidden in the shadows. He expected to see a pile of dust but thankfully he was wrong. 

 

Undyne was sitting upright, still visibly exhausted. They were holding the moist note in their hands, glaring down at it. She eventually crumpled it up and tossed it into the water, getting to her feet. Sparing her? Really? What was this human playing?

 

Sans furrowed his brow as he stepped back into Hotland, or what should have been Hotland. He ended up in his room and plopped down on his bed. This day was filled with far too much chaos. But, on the bright side, the Human hadn't killed anyone.

 

_____

 

A loud knock echoed through the home. Papyrus hummed as he finished up boxing his prized spaghetti in an elaborate little container. Perfect. 

 

He hurried over to the door, beaming as always. He threw it open, the door thankfully opening inwards, and took in a breath. 

 

“Hello Huma- what happened to you???”

 

Papyrus cut himself off at seeing how beaten the human was. Bruises lined their wrists where they'd blocked attacks, their hand remained on a bleeding side, and their body was covered in lava dirt.

 

The Human shrugged and smiled up at him. Papyrus furrowed his brows and stepped aside. 

 

“Come inside so that I, the Great Papyrus, can help you feel better!” 

 

With a nod the human walked inside the warm home. Going from cold to wet to hot and back again had destroyed the human's appearance. Their hair was frazzled, dirt and mud covered their body, not to mention the horrible shivering going on from the sudden cold again. 

 

Papyrus ushered the human over to the couch. Once they settled in he ran off, quickly returning with a blanket to wrap around his new friend. 

 

“I'm sorry, but our date will have to wait until you feel better.” 

 

He sounded a bit guilty about that but it didn't last. The Human watched as he knelt down in front of the couch, grinning as seemingly always. 

 

“I saw a cut on your side, can I see it?”

 

The human shifted a bit in their spot, blankets being pulled tighter. They could see Papyrus's smile being replaced with an expression of worry and finally relented. 

 

The blanket was shifted aside, showing off the large gash in their side. Blood was oozing slowly from the wound. Papyrus's face turned to fear as he saw just how bad it was. He glanced up at the human's face then back at the cut.

 

Wait, could green magic do something? Yes! And he'd been practicing! 

 

Papyrus launched himself to his feet, taking yet another heroic pose. 

 

“Do not fear, Human! For I, the Great Papyrus, will heal your wound!” 

 

He beamed as a massive blue bone formed in his hands, being held like a baseball bat. The human's eyes went wide as they slipped back into the couch. Oh God.

 

Papyrus reared back with the bone, swinging it down with all of his might. The human shut their eyes as the bone made contact.

 

The Human gasped as a familiar yet foreign feeling washed over their soul. Their eyes went wide, watching as Papyrus leaned in expectantly with a grin. 

 

“So? How do you feel?”

 

The human slowly removed their hand from the wound. It was still fresh but it wasn't bleeding anymore. They smiled a bit, looking it over. The magic wasn't that strong but it was more than enough. 

 

“N-Nyeh???”

 

Papyrus was taken back a bit when arms wrapped around his neck. His own awkwardly moved to pat the human gently on their back. He didn't want to hurt them after all.

 

“O-oh, um, well, I'll take this as a yes! Your welcome, Human! But…”

 

Papyrus pulled back from the hug, face scrunching a bit.

 

“You should clean up… “

 

He stood back up, trying to ignore the blood on his precious battle body. Hopefully it didn't stain! He moved a hand to his chin, eyes squinting in deep thought.

 

“Perhaps my brother has some clothing that would fit you…” 

 

The Human couldn't help but smile at that thought. Sans wasn't as tall as his brother but he was definitely a big skeleton. Apparently big boned actually meant having thick bones here. The clothes would be hanging off the human quite a bit but it was doable.

 

Papyrus beamed at his guest. 

 

“I'll go get you some clothes!”

 

With that he dashed off upstairs, knocking on his brother's door.

 

“Who's there?”

 

“Sans.”

 

“Sans who?”

 

“Sans! Let me in!”

 

“Huh, never heard of 'em.”

 

Papyrus grit his teeth, knocking harder. 

 

“I need clothes for the human! They're covered in…”

 

Papyrus shivered a bit as he tried to say the word. 

 

“Blood.”

 

The door finally cracked open, a concerned Sans on the other side. 

 

“Bro, they're here?” 

 

His voice was quieter now, more of a serious tone to it. 

 

Papyrus was confused by this. His brother never got serious… 

 

“Yes, and they need to get cleaned. I just did an amazing job healing them, but I'm not going to clean them...”

 

He looked to the side and frowned some at the thought.

 

“That would just be weird."

 

Sans sighed and looked his brother over. He wasn't sure if they should trust this human. They were able to fight Undyne and win, hell, they got through that fight with only one major wound! But, still, they remained peaceful… 

 

Sans shut the door, Papyrus pouting. Why was his brother being a meanie bones? Well, the human would just have to wear some of his clothes! Maybe… if they didn't slide off… 

 

Papyrus slumped at the idea. His clothes wouldn't work, even if they would make the human look almost as amazing as him. Emphasis on almost.

 

The door opened back up and Sans offered out a simple t-shirt and some adjustable pajama pants.

 

“Here you go, bro.” 

 

Papyrus gasped, both hands slamming to his cheeks as he gushed. Oh, Sans truly was the best brother ever! He took the clothes, wrapping his brother in a warm hug after. 

 

“Easy, Paps, you might wrinkle them.”

 

Papyrus released him and looked at the mangled clothes in his hands. His brother never folded them so the wrinkles were normal. 

 

“But they're already wrinkled.” 

 

“I might need to starch folding them then.”

 

Papyrus's grin melted into annoyance as he turned on heel. He was done here. 

  
  



	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ... I got carried away.

 

After showing the human the restroom and giving them the new clothes, Papyrus plopped the human's clothing into their washer. He hoped they wouldn't be too long, he needed a shower as well, but he wouldn't rush them. That was a nasty cut and it probably hurt to clean.

 

Luckily the Human did take a short time. It was comical seeing them walk into the laundry room, getting to see the new outfit. It looked almost like they were being eaten alive by a clothes monster. Paps couldn't help but snicker a bit. But he had something very important to do!

 

“Human, could you do the laundry while I clean up?”

 

The human nodded and watched him march off. Once he was gone the human returned downstairs to gather the soiled blanket. They looked over the contents and frowned a bit. Papyrus's clothes weren't inside so they'd just wait. The blanket was plopped inside and they leaned against the washer.

 

As they waited Sans came out of his room, pausing at seeing the Human there. They were just sitting in front of the washer, half asleep now. Perfect for pranking.

 

Sans slipped away, returning a few minutes later with a bit of shaving cream and a feather. They crept over as silently as they could, kneeling down just in front of the human.

 

A small bit of shaving cream was deposited in both the human's hands and the feather was fluffed. He beamed as he moved it up to tickle the human's nose.

 

“Sans, what ar-”

 

Papyrus's loud voice disturbed the human just before the feather touched them. They got a facefull of grinning Sans to which the response was two hands slamming into his face to push him away.

 

There was an explosion of white foam as Sans fell back into a wall, slumping down. The human slung their hands, quickly standing up. They calmed down after a few seconds, watching as Sans laughed to himself and wiped the foam from his face.

 

Papyrus just stared, confusion all over his face. When it finally clicked he groaned, rubbing his forehead and shaking his head. His brother was a baby bones and his new friend was just as bad.

 

The human stepped over to Sans and held out a hand to help them up. He took it and the human plopped a foam covered hand on his jacket, helping to pull him up.

 

Sans kept laughing and got to his feet, looking himself over. That had backfired so badly.

 

“Maybe I should've shaved this one for later.”

 

“Sans!”

 

The older brother grinned then looked back to the washer. He took off his soiled coat and wiped the rest of the stuff off on it. He offered it to the human.

 

“Wipe off your hands and put it in the washer.”

 

The Human did as they were told, Paps squinting at the misuse of that poor jacket, not to mention Sans choice of not wearing a shirt today. Really? Was that what he wanted to do?

 

The Human turned back to Paps, raising a brow at seeing him still in his old clothes. They were clean now but-wait. The Human snorted before starting to silently laugh. They buckled over as they imagined the skeleton taking a clothed shower. That explained the faint hairdryer sound they'd heard.

 

“What? What's so funny?”

 

The human wiped some tears from their eyes, turning around to get that washer running. Papyrus glanced to Sans then huffed. Ugh, he was practically nude around their new friend.

 

“Sans, can you put on a shirt?”

 

“Too much skin showing, Paps?”

 

“You don't even have skin!”

 

Sans looked down at himself and shrugged, hands getting put back into his pockets.

 

“Guess I don't.”

 

Papyrus was steaming as he marched off to his room. The human watched before looking back at Sans. There was a white soul floating in his ribcage. It had a faint glow, slowly pulsing as a heartbeat should.

 

“... Is there a reason why you're staring?”

 

The human blinked and looked away, face reddening a bit. Sans raised a brow, leaning back against the wall. Maybe now they could talk.

  


“Is it because I need some meat on my bones?”

 

The connotation of that joke had the Human's face turning a darker shade of red. It took a moment for Sans to realize this wasn't a kid and they we're probably thinking in the gutter.

 

“I meant I need to eat more, not that!”

 

The human averted their gaze, face on fire. Sans cleared his throat and started walking back to his room.

 

“I'll go put on a shirt.”

 

The human nods, gaze still averted. They wait until they hear Sans's door shut before glancing over. A sigh and they were off to go lounge on the couch. When they sat down they leaned on their left side. The human grit their teeth, the wound finally getting agitated. The magic's numbing effect was wearing off.

 

In the kitchen Papyrus continued to tote about thinking of different ways to improve his pasta. The human slowly slumped onto their uninjured side, effectively becoming one with the couch cushions.

 

When Papyrus popped out he couldn't help but frown at seeing the human in pain. It was clear on their face, and lack of movement to get comfortable. Really, how could lying half on half off the couch be comfortable?

 

The Human opened their eyes when a large shadow came over them. Papyrus was back in batting position, causing his guest to tense up yet again. Thankfully it was another healing blow.

 

Relief flowed through every inch of the human's body. The green energy was absorbed, numbing the pain again.

 

Papyrus gently moved the human's feet onto the couch. They didn't protest though they did curl up into the fetal position. A blanket was draped over them, Papyrus being a doing host. Once he was satisfied with the human's care he stood tall again.

 

“It might be best if you rest.”

 

He squinted at hearing his brother give a chuckle from upstairs. Wait… ugh, so what if he rhymed! It was on accident.

 

The human nodded and shut their eyes again. It would be best to sleep while their side was numb.

 

____

 

Sans yawned as he sat up from his post. Huh, so it was all just another dream. He slipped from his post and started on his usual rounds. Everything was normal. His brother would pop in every now and again, they'd joke, and Papyrus would go off yelling in frustration.

 

He decided it was about time to go and visit his friend at the door. He already had so many jokes ready. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he thought over an especially bad one. When they moved to knock on the door it crept open.

 

His eyes went wide as the darkness of the ruins revealed itself. He blinked before glancing around.

 

“Hello?”

 

His voice echoed through the darkness, slowly fading into nothing. He took a breath as he moved in to explore. He'd never been in the ruins before and the door had never been opened.

 

As he went deeper and deeper into the darkness a light finally shone through. With the light came a shadow figure. Only their eyes and mouth could be distinguishable. Tears we're welling up as they backed away from the light.

 

Sans tried to stay hidden as he got closer. As he approached he could make out the features of a Human. The human was far taller than the others before.

 

The shadowed figure was suddenly stopped when a massive golden disk formed behind them. Before Sans could do anything a blade formed in the human's hand as they shot forward, easily slicing through the poor monster's soul.

 

Their body erupted in dust that swirled in the darkness. The human stood straight after this, head hanging low. Their neck gave a sickening crack as their head whipped around to face Sans. Red eyes shone through the darkness, a massive grin spread across their lips.

 

Sans felt his body jolt as something hit him. He looked down to see a disk through his chest.

 

___

 

“Sans! SANS!”

 

Papyrus was trying his hardest to wake his brother. He was thrashing, having yet another nightmare.

 

“Sans, wake up!”

 

Sans finally opened his eyes. He gasped, shooting to sit upright. The dream was already fading but he was trembling. His eye was glowing as he held his head. It was a dream. It was just a dream. He was safe. His brother was safe

 

He looked up to Papyrus, the big guy wrapping him up in a gentle hug.

 

“It's okay, Sans…”

 

Sans leaned into the embrace. He was so lucky to have a brother like Papyrus. He was just so doing and loving, he was spoiled. Maybe he'd cut down on the puns for a bit… nah.

 

“Do you want to talk about it?”

 

Sans sighed and shook his head, putting on a small smile for his brother.

 

“It was just the dog dream again…”

 

Papyrus huffed. His brother was only afraid of them in his dreams and if he could ever get into Sans's dreams that dog would get quite the talking to!

 

“Well the dog isn't real-that dog at least.”

 

“I know, Paps…”

 

_____

 

In the morning the scent of freshly made, not pasta, was floating through the air. Sans was drawn out of bed by the scent. Half asleep, he wandered from his room and down the stairs. Once he got to the kitchen he rubbed his still closed eyes.

 

One opened and shot blue. The human was in the kitchen, skillfully flipping a massive pancake in a pan. Their tongue was sticking out as they concentrated.

 

Sans jolted when Papyrus plopped a hand on his shoulder, pulling him close. He beamed at the sight before them. Ah, a fellow chef! Perhaps they could teach him how to make that.

 

“Good morning, human!”

 

The human finally realized they were being watched and flung their current pancake onto the ceiling. Papyrus stared at it, squinting.

 

“... Unique technique…”

 

Sans snickered a bit and shook his head. Just a dream, pull yourself together. The human's making pancakes. And by the looks of it, they made more than enough for everyone already.

 

The Human motioned to the counter beside themselves, showing off the stack of pancakes. They didn't have a table so that was hopefully good enough.

 

Sans walked over and peeped up at the mound. He snagged a plate for himself and tried to reach to the top to move some down. Papyrus shoved five onto his brother's plate and handed him the syrup which was in a cupboard far too high for Sans to reach.

 

“Thanks, bro. I'll go eat in front of the TV.”

 

The human smirked at that. Papyrus spotted it and raised a brow. What-

 

FFFFFRRRRRRRTTTT

 

Papyrus's jaw dropped and the Human started wheezing laughing. Sans froze in his spot. He put the pancakes on the coffee table and got up. The cushion was removed, revealing one of his own whoopies.

 

“Really? You too?!”

 

The Human kept laughing and Papyrus stomped his foot.

 

“Am I in a house filled with b-ACK!”

 

A wet plop had Sans turning around, exploding in his own fit of laughter. The pancake had landed straight on his brother's head. Papyrus took a power stance and yelled in outrage before marching upstairs.

 

Sans was crying laughing on the ground, the human struggling to catch their breath. Their laughter eventually turned into pained hisses through teeth as they held their side.

 

Sans looked at the kitchen and saw their guest crumpling to the ground. He rushes over to see if he could do anything, kneeling beside them. That last bit of magic Papyrus had slammed into them, quite literally, was finally wearing off.

 

“If you can't handle the heat…”

 

He mumbled to himself as he helped the human up. They continued holding their side as they were brought to the couch. Sans stood in front of them when they were situated, a hand remaining on their injured side.

 

“Hey, Panpyrus, can you-”

 

“DID YOU JUST PUN MY NAME?!”

 

Sans rolled his eyes and put his hands in his pockets.

 

“Bro, the human's hurting again.”

 

The human listened to the yelling that turned into a skeleton rushing down the stairs.

 

“It lasted that long?! I shouldn't be surprised by my own greatness, but wowee!”

 

Papyrus beamed at the human, forming that bone bat again. Sans backed up, holding up his hands.

 

“Uh, Paps, that bone's blue.”

 

“I know, Sans.”

 

“Blue doesn't heal.”

 

“I KNOW, Sans.”

 

Papyrus reared back and swing with all his might. Just before it made contact the bone shifted to green. It shattered into the air, crystalizing into a dust light of sorts before absorbing into the Human.

 

“... It's not nice to bone people without permission.”

 

Papyrus turned on heel, leaning down and poking his brother in the forehead.

 

“Enough!”

 

“What?”

 

Sans shrugged and held up his hands.

 

“The puns, Sans. The. Puns.”

 

Sans couldn't resist. A hand slipped behind him. The human picked up on a bit of magic as their pain faded.

 

Sans whipped out a frying pan, the still somewhat dirty one the Human had been using.

 

“The pans?”

 

Papyrus deflated in defeat, slowly standing to his full height. He huffed and went off to the kitchen. The pancake on his head was finally tossed in the trash.

 

The human stared at Sans as the pan disappeared behind their back, a small thunk coming from the kitchen. He most definitely could teleport things. That was… incredible.

 

“So, feeling better?”

 

The Human snapped out of it and nodded, giving a thumbs up.

 

“Sometimes laughter isn't the best medicine.”

 

A groan came from the kitchen along with silverware clinking with a plate. So he was eating alone? He couldn't handle the puns. If it was too hot in the living room then...

 

The human looked back to Sans's pile of pancakes and motioned to it. The skeleton plopped back down, smothered it in syrup, and took a bite. Not bad.

 

“Human, can you teach me how to make these?”

 

Papyrus was yelling from the kitchen, head poking out. The human gave another thumbs up and stood from the couch. They went off to the kitchen and Sans smiled a bit.

 

This human wasn't bad. They liked jokes, they didn't hurt his brother, and they were teaching him to cook. Even if they knew magic and could have killed the one that hurt them, they chose to spare her.

 

_____

 

Three days passed and the Human regained enough strength that their side was only a bit tender. During this time they'd grown closer to Sans and Papyrus, though a prank war of sorts had been waged.

 

The Whoopie cushions were everywhere, lids on containers were loose, sugar was replaced with salt-it was a warzone. Papyrus couldn't get any peace from the constant taunting, unwittingly becoming victim to most of the antics. They were pointed at the two waging war yet he always seemed to have something happen.

 

“Sans! Human! WHY is the fridge FILLED WITH WATERMELONS?!”

 

Sans peeped in and grinned at his brother.

 

“Melome, bro.”

 

Papyrus threw one of the melons at him.

 

“I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!!!”

 

Sans dodged the melon, watching as it soared through the air. Luckily a disk formed to catch it. Said disk stretched like a net, catching the melon. It was set down on the ground.

 

Papyrus's jaw could have fallen off from how wide it was. The human walked over to the melon and plucked it up. When they turned back to Paps his jaw clenched and he growled. Of course they'd be wearing the funny glasses with a giant nose. Ugh.

 

The human walked the melon back to the fridge and set it carefully inside. They removed the funny glasses and put them in the pocket of a jacket Sans had generously given them. 

 

“Human, I didn't know you knew magic! Even if you're acting like my brother and all those horrid jokes, that's incredible!”

 

The human smiled and glanced over to Sans before looking back up at Paps. They motioned to the door with their thumb and hoped he would get it.

 

Papyrus squinted as he thought over the many meanings of this motion. Just what did the human want to do?

 

“Bro, I think they want to show you what they can do outside.”

 

The human nodded and grinned, taking Papyrus's hand. They were yanked along as the skeleton rushed out the front door, nearly breaking it off the hinges.

 

“THEN LET'S GO! Nyehehe!”

 

The human chased after as best they could, thankfully being freed of their friend's grip. Their side was still achy but it wasn't too bad. They just couldn't do a whole lot.

 

When the Human finally caught up to Papyrus they were back at the place they'd first fought.

 

“Alright, human, show me what you can do!”

 

Papyrus was beaming at his friend. The human silently laughed a bit and nodded. Alright.

 

A disk formed in front of the human, slowly rising from the ground. Papyrus let out a soft “ooh” as he watched. The disk began to split into more, slowly twirling in the air like a coin.

 

The human's eyes started to glow as they raised their hands. The disks split into more and more until ten were circling around at different heights. The disks suddenly stopped and expanded, forming a bubble around the human.

 

Papyrus felt his smile fading a bit at the look the human was giving him. Oh no…

 

______

  


It took a bit for Sans to pick up on the distant screaming but when he did he rushed to the door. He threw it open and squinted hard to see just what was happening. He couldn't see anything through the thick fog that particular path was notorious of. He ran out of the house, following the screams.

 

He knew he shouldn't have trusted the human! His brother was getting hurt or tortured or killed and he wasn't even watching over them! What kind of a brother was he?!

 

Sans burst through the fog, finally able to see exactly what was going on.

 

His eye slowly stopped glowing as it trailed after his brother.

Up, down, left, right, up.

 

What the…?

 

Papyrus couldn't stop scream-laughing as he was thrust from one disk to another, a massive grin on his face. The human's hands were up, eyes glowing bright. They'd decided to show him exactly how springy the disks could be and the skeleton got the bright idea to get tossed about.

 

A disk formed at Papyrus's back, shooting him down towards the ground. He screamed again as a final disk caught his feet, bouncing him just enough to have a soft landing in the snow.

 

The human's hands found their knees as they bent over panting. Papyrus stumbled on his feet, laughing at the fun ride. He eventually flopped on the ground, head tilting in circles.

 

“Sans? How are there three of you?”

 

Sans blinked and shook his head. His brother was fine. The human, well, they looked pretty tired. Papyrus walked over to the human and knelt down. The human stood up and smiled at him, giving him a gentle pat on the head.

 

He huffed at that but accepted it.

 

“That was fun, but you look tired… Well, moving someone so great must have been exhausting!”

 

Sans walked over and looked his brother over.

 

“And I'm big boned.”

 

“Hey! I'm tall, it evens out…”

 

Sans gave his brother a warm smile and looked back to the human. Papyrus's phone went off and he gasped.

 

“It's Undyne!”

 

The Human grimaced, turning their head away. Clearly they didn't like the warrior.

 

Papyrus answered and rocked on his heels, giddy as could be.

 

“Really? I'll come over right now!”

 

He turned to his brother and friend.

 

“Undyne wants to quiz me on how to make spaghetti-”

 

He gasps at remembering something.

 

“I can show her how to make pancakes!”

 

He turned on heel to start running off. The human shook their head. Hopefully he remembered to crack the eggs this time.

 

The Human started walking back with Sans, the skeleton oddly quiet. It took a bit for them to get back to the house, the human not even thinking before taking the doorknob. They opened the door and walked inside.

 

Sans snickered a bit and the human glanced at him. They didn't see what was up and went off to Papyrus's room to rest. They'd been upgraded from the couch to a pile of blankets and pillows in Papyrus's room. A bone themed curtain was splitting it in half. Of course last night was the first night of the new arrangement.

 

The human had heard Sans having one of his night terrors. Papyrus went to his brother's aid, disappearing for nearly an hour before coming back. They had to assure the human he was fine before they could all go back to sleep.

 

The human went to open the door, finally noticing the red on their hand. Their eyes went wide and they ran downstairs to the sink. Terror was washing through them as they rinsed the… paint.

 

“Seems like you got caught red-handed.”

 

The human deflated, smiling as they shook their head. Just a prank. That was fine. Sans was going to get it later.

 

_____

 

“This tastes.. crunchy.”

 

Undyne was poking at the remnants of her pancakes, a bit of eggshell on her plate.

 

“Thank you! But the way the Human makes it is-”

 

“The human?! Papyrus, what do you mean 'the human’?”

 

Papyrus slowly slipped down in his seat.

 

“Uh… Nyeheh… heh…”

 

“Papyrus.”

 

He let out a defeated sigh and sat up, leaning over the table a bit. He averted his gaze and rested both elbows on the table.

 

“... The Human taught me.”

 

“When?”

 

“After their side felt better, they showed me how to make them. But theirs aren't crunchy.”

 

Undyne was oddly calm.

 

“So where is the human?”

 

Papyrus fiddled with their gloves a bit.

 

“With Sans back home… why?”

 

The table was slung aside as Undyne formed a spear in her hands. With a roar she was off to go get that blasted human.

 

Papyrus felt anxious as he watched her burst through her own front door, breaking all the teeth. This wasn't going to end well, was it?

 

______

 

Undyne ran at the door the the skeleton brothers’ home, easily breaking the door down. Sans tensed at seeing her there.

 

“Nice of you to drop in.”

 

Undyne growled at him, a spear forming in her hands.

 

“Where's the human?”

 

Sans shrugged and put his hands in his pockets.

 

“Last I saw they were upstairs.”

 

Undyne launched herself over the balcony, going for the first closed door. Inside she saw Sans yet again, but now his hood was up and he had a stupid set of joke glasses on.

 

“WHERE IS THE HUMAN?!”

 

He silently pointed to the wall and Undyne broke through it into the restroom. It was empty and sheglared back at Papyrus's now empty room.

 

She stomped out and went to Sans's door, breaking it open. Her eye twitched and a spear shot up, locking the door back in place.

 

She marched downstairs and glared at Sans. He was still wearing the joke glasses, hood up.

 

“They aren't here, are they.”

 

Sans pointed to himself. Undyne groaned and pinched between her eyes. Ugh. She turned and walked out, another spear slamming the door into place.

 

'Sans’ removed the joke mask and hood, sighing in relief. Sans walked up behind the Human and patted them on the back.

 

“How'd it feel to be me?”

 

The Human slipped the glasses on Sans's face and he shook his head laughing.

 

_____

 

After another week living with the skeletons the Human felt back to their healthy self. Their side didn't hurt, it didn't even have a scar. As the Human grew closer to the brother's they couldn't help but grow concerned for how soft Papyrus was.

 

He was strong, that was for sure, but the human wanted to make sure he could defend himself.

 

“I'll be back in a few hours, Sans. The Human wanted to show me something.”

 

Sans looked over from the couch, throwing a thumbs up. Papyrus plucked up the human and bolted out the door, cackling as he went. The human silently laughed at how excited he was.

 

Sans got up to go shut the door, Papyrus not even thinking to do so. When he shut it he noticed a weird bag of something on the floor. He knelt down and plucked it up, examining it in his hands.

 

When he opened it the strings were quickly yanked shut. Why did the human just drop a bag of dust?

 

_____

  


“So, you want to fight?”

 

The human nodded, smiling at their friend.

 

“Alright!”

 

Papyrus watched as the human encased the stick in a very weird colored magic. It was a mix of green and gold.

 

Papyrus let the human have the first strike again. A disk formed behind them and shot them forward. The Human swept at Papyrus's feet.

 

He yelled at the whack. It didn't do any actual damage but it hurt. He jumped away from it and sent out a normal bone attack.

 

The human used their disks to jump and dodge the bones. They shot forward from another disk, stick held like a deadly weapon. A swift whack to Papyrus's arm had him yelling again and rubbing the bone.

 

“Stop hitting me!”

 

The human grinned and stuck out their tongue. Papyrus huffed and sent out more bones, this time blue. The human froze, waiting for them to pass.

 

“It's rude!”

 

The human took their turn to write a note, tossing it to Papyrus.

 

“”Then dodge my attacks.””

 

“Dodge your-NYAH!”

 

A thwack straight to his butt had Papyrus whipping around, another note hitting him in the forehead. He ripped it from his face.

 

“”And don't take your eyes off your opponent.””

 

Papyrus narrowed his eyes, making a little ‘I’m watching you’ hand motion. The human stuck out their tongue again, making a 'come at me’ hand motion.

 

Papyrus created more bones, sending them out in a massive wave. The human stood still as the blue attack, gasping when that magic consumed their soul again.

 

The human ran forward, swinging at Papyrus. This time he moved, jumping out of the way.

 

“Nyehehe, you didn't hit m-OW!”

 

The Human shot back with another disk, hitting Papyrus on the side.

 

He created a bone bat and swung, managing to get the human across their stomach. The human was sent flying, a disk catching them. It stretched obnoxiously, Papyrus grinning until the human was flying like a bullet at him.

 

He dived for the ground, the human tumbling behind them. He hopped to his feet, sending out more bones. The human dodged as many as they could, their magic assisting to overcome the increased gravity on their soul.

 

The human got in close, swinging repeatedly. Papyrus started making bones pop up to block the blows. The human was beaming at him, relentless in their attacks.

 

Papyrus was backing away at the vicious attacks, sweat dripping down his face. He managed to catch the human's stick between two bones, a massive one forming to blast them away.

 

Papyrus opened his eyes after that whack, gasping when he saw the human soaring over the cliff. He ran towards the edge, kneeling down and looking over the side.

 

He came eye to eye socket with two golden glowing orbs. The human's hair was covered in magic as it flared out. A disk was holding them as they grinned at the skeleton. 

 

The grin disappeared when a giant puff of snow took the place of Papyrus as he ran away.

 

Oops...


	6. Chapter 6

By the time the human arrived at the brothers’ home, Papyrus had told Sans everything. Sans was just staring up at his brother, doing his best to understand what he was saying. It was coming out so quickly he needed a Papyrus translator. 

 

When the front door opened Paps gasped, twirling around. The human gave a sheepish little wave and held out a note. Papyrus calmed a bit and slowly inched over, plucking up the note. 

 

“... That wasn't a good prank.” 

 

The human nodded and held out their arms. Papyrus didn't hesitate to wrap them in a warm hug, picking them up in the process. 

 

“But, I forgive you!” 

 

Sans just kept staring. 

 

The human was set down and Papyrus ran off to his room to grab something. He came back with a “cool guy” bookbag on, easily plucking his friend off the ground. They were held like a sack of potatoes, hugged beneath one arm, as the skeleton marched to the front door.

 

The Human gave no protest, used to Papyrus's weirdness by now. He was a goofball. 

 

“Now, Human, it is time for a picnic! A grand affair filled with the most delicious, artfully crafted pasta made by yours truly.” 

 

He beamed down at his friend. The front door was kicked open, Papyrus running off at full speed. Cackles filled the air as he dashed away. Sans watched them go, shaking his head a bit. Of course his bro would forget to close the door. 

 

He walked over to it, nearly tripping over a small bag. He eyed it as the door was shut. Did the human drop that? Well, whatever it was he was sure it could be used for something. 

 

He plucked it up, musing at how light it was. He shifted it from hand to hand, giving a small squish. The white puff that came out the top had ice running down Sans's spine. 

 

“Dust…”

 

He stared at the bag in his hands, trying to think of why the human would have a bag of dust. That dream returned to the forefront of his mind. Those glowing gold eyes, the same ones the human had while fighting Undyne. 

 

Sans lowered the bag as he slipped deeper into his own mind. That was a dream, right? Of course it was, he died in it. And the human, since they've gotten here, they've been so nice. 

 

_ “... If you saw someone with a bag of dust, what would you think..?”  _

  
  


The memory echoed in his mind as loud as those knocks. Sans took in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. Alright, so this could be what that lady was talking about. This was the human… At least she was right on making him promise not to hurt them. The human was fun, but this dust-he needed to figure it out. 

 

____

 

Papyrus had eventually out the Human down, the two exploring for the perfect place to relax and talk. They eventually slipped off to Waterfall, wandering here and there in a seemingly futile attempt to find the perfect spot. Until… 

 

“Undyne!” 

 

The warrior turned on heel, showing off her fangs in a broad grin. 

 

“Papyrus, what are you doing here?” 

 

Her eyes opened. The blank expression on her face had the Human tensing a bit. Paps could feel the power beginning to resonate with in the human. Undyne's eyes narrowed, a grimace spreading across her lips.

 

Papyrus looked quickly from one to the other. Oh no. He rushed between the two, holding up his hands to keep them apart. 

 

“Stop!” 

 

The human stood tall from their defensive position, crossing their arms. Undyne relented, growling a bit. Why did Papyrus have to be here right now?! 

 

“Undyne, we were off to have a picnic.”

 

He grinned at his friend. 

 

“Do you want to join us?”

 

Undyne blinked, unable to smirk at the horror on the human's face. She could work with this. 

 

“Of course, I'd love to!” 

 

Undyne marched over, slapping Papyrus on the back. She glared down at the human, showing all her teeth in a vicious smile. 

 

“And maybe after, we could train. How about that, Papyrus?”

 

The skeleton gasped. The thought of having both his friends to train with! Oh this would be so much fun! 

 

“Let's find a spot!” 

 

Papyrus grabbed Undyne's hand, reaching back to pluck the human's as well. And off he went, the two being dragged behind. 

 

The human eventually formed a disk beneath their feet to keep up. They knew something bad was going to happen and their energy needed conserving. Undyne snarled a bit at seeing the frivolous use of magic. 

 

The two tumbled over Papyrus when he came to a sudden stop. He yelled as they both fell on top of him. Undyne quickly got off, pulling him to his feet. The human got up on their own, looking at the expanse of caves. Huh, this was nice. The ground was flat and dry, there were crystals everywhere. It was truly beautiful. 

 

Papyrus removed a blanket from his bag. In one swift move he splayed it out on the ground. Both Undyne and the Human stared at the massive picture of Papyrus's face laid out before them. 

 

“... Where did you get this?” 

 

Undyne was trying not to laugh. It was so weird but fitting. 

 

Papyrus hummed then shrugged. He put down a few plates of pasta, said plates having somehow managed to stay in a neat fashion. They even looked hot. 

 

“Ta-Da!” 

 

The human gave a few little claps, moving over to their friend. They sat beside the skeleton and Undyne sat across from them. She plucked up a fork and started to swirl the pasta. 

 

“So, Undyne, what brings you here?” 

 

She raised a brow. 

 

“I live here?”

 

“I suppose that makes sense…” 

  
  


____

 

“So, what do you think it is?”

 

Sans was looking around the elaborate set-up Alphys had. Being the royal scientist meant she got nice gigs, but this place was way too big for his liking. 

 

“W-well, it's clearly dust, b-but I can't tell from wh-what or uh.. who.” 

 

She had opened the bag, emptying some of the contents onto a petri dish. With a small probe she was sitfting it around. 

 

“I-I mean I can find out, but it will take some time s-so-” 

 

“No rush, I was just curious.” 

 

Alphys gave a little nod, closing the bag back up. She offered it back to Sans. He pocketed it and sighed. 

 

“The Human had that.” 

 

“H-Human?” 

 

Oh, so she was playing dumb? He'd seen her cameras focused on the human when he came in. Did that not matter anymore. 

 

“Yeah, I figured you'd have an eye on them.” 

 

Alphys gave a small nod, swallowing thickly. 

 

“W-well, yes, I have been watching them uh… th-they seem to li-like Papyrus.” 

 

Sans gave a nod, watching as she poked the dust a bit more. She looked from her sample to lock eyes with Sans. Her gaze quickly averted to the nearby off screen. 

 

“I-I c-could show you what they're up to right now i-if you'd like.” 

 

Sans looked to the screen, stepping closer. He plopped in one of the chairs, crossing one leg over the other. 

 

“Sure.”

 

Alphys watched him get comfortable and sighed. Okay, he didn't seem bothered by her peeping. Hopefully he didn't learn of the other cameras she had. 

 

With a small flick of a switch she was able to show off the trio in Waterfall. 

  
  


“I suppose that makes sense.”

 

The Human picked up a plate, swirling a small amount onto a fork. They hesitated on taking a bite. A burning heat cascaded down their tongue. They did their best to chew the spicy pasta, tasting like nothing but agony. Tears we're welling up in their eyes. 

 

Papyrus gasped. 

 

“It's so good you're tearing up?!” 

 

The Human gave a tiny thumbs up. Sweat was beading on their face, blood rushing to it. They couldn't swallow.

 

Undyne watched this, forking a small bit into her own mouth. Her eye went wide at the pure heat but she swallowed it down. She wouldn't lose this one even if her throat felt like it was melting!

 

“It's delicious, Papyrus!” 

 

Papyrus gushed, unable to contain his excitement. Two of his best friends, calling his food delicious! And they were both in tears at how delicious it was! Oh, maybe he should finally try it. 

 

Papyrus snatched a fork, scooping up a massive helping of noodles. He popped it in his mouth, eyes closing as he chewed. The Human and Undyne watched him closely for any reaction. 

 

In a blink he was on his feet, screaming. Steam was coming out of his mouth as he grasped his throat in agony. He ran full speed to the nearby river, shoving his head in the refreshing water. 

 

The screaming muffled beneath the waves.

 

Undyne locked eyes with the human. Both of them had tears streaming down their faces. 

 

Two splashes later and Papyrus wasn't the only one seeking peace in the river. 

 

Sans couldn't contain his laughter, slapping his leg like a seal. Alphys's eyes were wide. With a few slow blinks a small bit of laughter started up. It turned into snorting, wheezing giggles as she bent over, a hand covering her mouth. 

 

On screen Papyrus gasped as he popped his head from the water. Down he went again. What kind of sauce did he put in his pasta?!

 

The human came out next. They coughed into the water, slowly getting to their feet. Undyne remained underwater, more than able to stay for as long as she needed. 

 

The human gave Papyrus a small pat on the back before going over to his backpack. They rooted around inside, glaring at the bottle they pulled out. The label had been redone badly on a hotsauce bottle. 

 

They looked it over, squinting at the handwriting. Wait, the socks. Their notes… 

 

The human huffed and stood. Oh that skeleton was going to pay! 

 

Undyne came up after a bit, spitting out water. She got to her feet and turned, facing the human. And said human was holding the most incriminating evidence she'd ever seen. 

 

“You. Did. This?!”

 

The human looked over just in time to dodge a spear aimed at their face. Their eyes lit up, a disk forming over their soul as it shone through their clothes. 

 

“Do you think this is funny?!”

 

The human shook their head no, plucking up a rock. It was surrounded by gold magic though they couldn't do much with it. Spikes formed on it and it was tossed at Undyne. 

 

She dodged, the spiky rock hitting Papyrus directly on the butt. His head exploded from the water as he screamed. 

 

“Papyrus! And now you're attacking him?!” 

 

The human swallowed thickly. The spears were appearing more and more around Undyne and they weren't sure this would go in their favor again. 

 

“How DARE you!”

 

All the spears went flying for the human. They formed as many disks as they could to block the attack but they all shattered. The human braced themselves, eyes shutting tightly. But the pain never came. 

 

An eye peeped open, the human trembling in fear. Every single spear had stopped dead in their tracks. Papyrus stood between the human and certain death. Their expression was firm, their arms outstretched wide to protect their friend. 

 

“Undyne, don't hurt the human!” 

 

The spears slowly began to disappear, Undyne stepping forward. 

 

“But Papyrus, with their soul we can escape! Asgore can-”

 

“But we can't hurt them, I won't let you! Please, Undyne, this is my friend!” 

 

Undyne's hand was trembling around the spear she was holding. One more soul. Just one more, and they would be free. 

 

“Please…” 

 

Undyne looked from Papyrus to the human, her grip on the spear growing. That soft, pleading tone was a horrible weapon. The spear began to audibly crack at the stress. Papyrus gave a second take when he saw the human step in front of himself. Their chest glowed brightly as they released their soul, holding it out to Undyne. 

 

Tears were welling up in her lone eye. 

 

“Are you taunting me?!” 

 

“No! They're sparing you! Undyne, please.” 

 

The spear finally exploded in her hand. She let out a defeated roar and slammed her foot to the ground, slinging her arms out. She couldn't hurt Papyrus, she couldn't kill this human-but the final soul!

 

Undyne marched forward, stopping inches from the human's face. She snarled lowly, lone eye glowing with the fire of a champion. 

 

“If you hurt anyone…” 

 

The human pushed their soul at Undyne. It touched her chest and she gasped. Warmth exploded through her body as she felt... something. She stumbled back, eye wide. She ran before Papyrus could say a word. 

 

The human frowned, reabsorbing their soul. Papyrus deflated, patting the human on the shoulders. 

 

“Thank you for not fighting her… she thinks fighting solves everything, it's not fun sometimes. But, she's always there when I need her.” 

 

The Human turned and wrapped Papyrus in a tight hug. They were trembling. The skeleton hugged them back, looking over the evil picnic's remains. Maybe he would hold off on making pasta for a while… 

 

_____

 

“I sh-should have a result in the morning s-so come back when you can.” 

 

Alphys gave Sans a little wave as he went towards the door. He waved back, hand returning back to his pocket. 

 

“See you later, gater.” 

 

“I-im actually a-oh… he's gone.”

 

Sans reappeared inside his home, shutting the door behind himself. And the human wasn't here with Papyrus yet. Good. 

 

He went upstairs to Papyrus's room. He had tried to talk his brother out of sharing a room but he wouldn't listen. At least the human wasn't sleeping in his bed while he slept on the floor. 

 

The dust bag was placed in the center of their little pallet. He gave it a final once over before walking out. Hopefully Alphys could give him an answer. He would feel a lot better having some context to this dust bag. 

 

The moment he got to his room the front door slammed open. 

 

“SAAAAAAANS!!!” 

  
  



End file.
